Chapter 9 design
Usami cleverly saw through Haruki's psychology, and Jinghu not only won the Sanjo again, but also subdued the No. 1 player in the Sanjo, Kakizaki Keiya.
"The last time it was the Shinbata brothers, this time it was the Kakizaki Jing family. Both of them are enemies of the lord. He took these two people by his side, and his intentions were suspicious. Regardless of whether his intentions are righteous or not, he is just a It’s just a matter of luck, he has repeatedly defeated Santiao, and his reputation is like the rising sun. After this battle, there must be many wealthy families who are convinced by him! He is so majestic, as if the country has two kings, and the family has two masters.”
She was still not finished, and provocatively said: "One day he will be promoted as the master of Chunri Mountain City. Everyone in the world says so. When Jing Hu becomes the patriarch, the fortune of the Changwei family in Chunri Mountain will be very prosperous. It suddenly becomes clear. Haven't you heard of it?" ?"
Her deliberate slander added to Qingjing's uneasiness and anger, and finally launched a crusade against Jinghu.
"My younger brother, Xiping Erjinghu, is not fraternal and disobedient. He harbors evil intentions and keeps gathering dangerous people to plot evil. If he is left alone, he will definitely cause disaster. In order to avoid the legacy of suffering, he is determined to cut him down. All members of our clan will work together discuss!"
After Jing Hu heard the news, he also circulated notices to the rich families.
"My father was King Jing, who was a traitor in the Yuezhong attack. Unfortunately, he died in battle. My brother Qingjing succeeded him as the master of Chunri Mountain. He was recommended by everyone to serve as the guardian. However, his nature became weak and he didn't want to avenge his deceased father to comfort the ghost. Doting favors on traitors and traitors, seeking comfort, causing domestic division and endless wars. But Qing Jinggong still has no color of introspection, doting on women and children, not only mutilating Zhongliang, but also deeply jealous of the young Jinghu's repeated military exploits, so he sent people to assassinate him twice. Fortunately, Jinghu Blessed by God, he was able to survive. Qing Jinggong would not give up and sent troops to attack. The matter has come to this point. What can I say? , at least it's a blessing to stand by and watch!"
Jing Hu actually didn't want to expose his family scandal, but Usami tried his best to persuade him.If they don't show their own willingness to fight, then the Hao clan is likely to ignore them as they did when they attacked the Shibata brothers last time. If the Hao clan doesn't send troops, there will be no fighting between Tochio and Kasugayama.
The two sides sent envoys to each other, causing chaos to the wealthy clan attached to Kasugayama's Nagao family.Everyone knows that Jinghu is right, and most of them remain neutral, but there are also many people who are obsessed with Giri and loyal to the old master, such as Ueda's Nagao Fangke, Ueda Jinguo, Kariwa Keiki, Izumisawa Kouchi, Karasawa Zuo Masuke, Osaki Chikuzen, Okawa Suruga, Matsumoto Osumi, Shogase Shinzo and others all joined Kasugayama there.
On the other hand, there are Takemata Mikawa Mamoru, Irobe Xiuliang, Sugihara Kenye and others who share the scene and admire Keita's courage and joined Tochio.
Qingjing dispatched troops to Tochio at the end of November, and it was the season of two or three light snowfalls. It was not a good time to start a war, because soon it would be the midwinter with heavy wind and snow, and the war was bound to be suspended. .It is common to become timid due to dormancy for a long and severe winter, and there are also cases of changing one's mind due to the enemy's calculations. Therefore, Qingjing knows that if he waits until spring, the situation may be even more unfavorable. Popularity is like buckets on a well, when one goes up, the other goes down.Jing Hu defeated the three armies again and again, and repeatedly demonstrated his excellent aptitude as a general, but Qing Jing never showed the behavior that fits a general.In addition, Qingjing's daily activities will definitely not satisfy the favor of the wealthy family, and he himself knows it very well, thinking that it is the best strategy to defeat Jinghu before the deep winter and deep snow come. In response to Qingjing, the first to rush to Shimoechigo were Ueda Keiguni, Izumisawa Kouchi, Matsumoto Osumi, Osaki Chikuzen and others. They were all local tyrants in Minamiuonuma County.Take a boat down the Uonuma River, gather at the mouth of the river, and then follow the Shinano River, land near Zao Gonen, and wait for Qingjing to send troops. The psychology of warriors on the battlefield is extremely special. Even if they are not motivated by ambition, they will unconsciously appear like a hound.At this moment, the wealthy clan did not come here happily, they didn’t respect Qingjing at all, or even despised him, but Nagao Fangjing, the leader of the wealthy clan in Minamiuonuma County, sent troops at Qingjing’s plea, so they had no choice but to follow, but once they sent troops, they would be rewarded with fame. His heart jumped out, and of course he also had the reputation of not dishonoring the actions of a samurai. Out of this mentality, they agreed in private: "The enemy must wait for our guards to arrive before attacking. They are waiting for peace of mind. We will take advantage of their unpreparedness and strike first!" So they set out from Zangwang, and crossed the mountain range on the west side of the basin across Tochio from Sangtan Ridge. Before noon that day, the news of their departure from Zao reached Tochio.Jing Hu discussed with the generals and deployed troops at various key points.Usami is still in the city and is the best person to discuss.Usami thought that if she was not on Biwa Island, it would be easier to induce Haruki to attack, so she asked her son Minbu Shaosuke to stay behind, and brought 500 soldiers to Tochio. Zao is four miles away from Tochio, and usually marches six miles a day, but because this road is a mountain road, although it is not so difficult and dangerous, it is not easy to walk.Jinghu judged that the enemy army had not arrived (3:00 p.m.), and Usami agreed. "Don't worry, just take your time and prepare to wait." After noon, the spies reported that about 300 enemy vanguards had entered the road leading to the city. This seems unlikely, but some speculate that the pioneers may have set off before dawn. Jing Hu thought it was possible, so he asked the spies: "Before or after the fork?" "Before the fork." The road leading to the city is divided into two halfway. Go straight and cross Mifu to reach Sanjo, and turn left to cross Sangtan Ridge to reach King Zang.Although Qingjing's army in the king of Tibet must go to the latter, if someone goes to the former, then the matter is of great importance. Maybe, Qingjing is so strong that he joins forces with Santiao to attack instead.Although this situation is unimaginable, it is not impossible according to Qingjing's nature. Akita Hitachi was his most trusted subordinate in the past. If Qingjing has this intention, the cooperation between the two may be easy. "In any case, we have to be very careful!" Jing Hu explained the situation to the soldiers, and after ordering to step up his defenses, he decided to go out for reconnaissance in person. Everyone immediately dissuaded: "You must not, leave this matter to us!" "No, I want to see for myself." He took thirty horses back and set off, carefully observing the surroundings, and galloped along the winding and slightly sloped valley road along the shade. About half a mile into the valley, there was a fork. He slowed down his horse and paid more attention to his surroundings. Soon, he found a group of army horses coming. Jing Hu stopped his horse, and the opponent also stopped his horse, but immediately put on a posture of preparing for battle, several people rushed out by themselves, scattered into both sides of the road.What is surprising is that these people are carrying muskets, and the barrels of the guns reflect the early winter sun. "Oh? It's a gun, and there are seven of them!" Jing Hu was shocked. Although he knew that bullets would not be able to hit him at this distance, there were bushes on both sides of the road, and he was worried that they would sneak up and snipe, so it would be difficult to guard against.He observes each other keenly. The other party seemed to be watching too. Soon, the leading general waved his command flag, and the guard immediately relaxed, and the soldiers with guns also returned to the ranks.The general grabbed the reins and came running in small steps. He looked closely, but saw the head on the thick and short neck with a white nose protruding, smiling. Shinbei Jinjin said in surprise, "Ah! It's Sugihara-san!" Sugihara Kenke is the lord of Suwon in Kitakamahara County. Although he said he would join Jinghu, but he was within the three spheres of influence, Jinghu thought he would not be able to come. Sugihara Ikimori was thirty-five or six years old, with a fat, red smiling face. "At Shimosugihara Ken's house, I met my lord, and wasted time because I passed through enemy territory." His attitude is very natural, even though he saw Jing Hu for the first time, he didn't show any sign of flinching.After Jinghu finished greeting him, he greeted Jinjin Xinbingwei and other familiar friends. "I just heard from the people in Jianfu that the people of Nanuonuma County left the camp of the royal family of Tibet this morning and were going to attack here. I thought I could catch up now, and I was very happy." After that, he laughed out loud, and the laughter echoed endlessly in the valley. Xinbingwei said, "Where did you get so many muskets?" "Why, have you noticed? I first bought one from Sakai Port. After using it, I found it very useful. I wanted to buy more. It happened that someone in Sakai brought thirty or forty to Odawara for sale, so I bought it. You I don’t know, this thing is very expensive. One set costs five hundred taels. I bought six for two thousand five hundred taels, which is equivalent to making one for nothing. However, my savings for many years have also been emptied. Once this stuff became popular, I couldn’t bear it. The warriors under me suffered, and the common people who were squeezed dry by me couldn’t stand it anymore. Now I can’t save any more, so I have to squeeze it little by little, haha…” While talking and laughing, Jinghu and Sugihara rode back to the city together.
The enemy arrived a little later than the scheduled time, and the number of soldiers was about 5,000.As soon as they arrived, they immediately formed a team and attacked directly.Under the training of the fierce general Fang Jing all the year round, they attacked fiercely, but the defenders also took precautions early and took the fight calmly.The enemy's offensive did not stop for a while, and they rushed forward wave after wave, like raging waves hitting a huge rock.They fought like this, and did not stop attacking until the sun was setting and the sky was getting dark. They retreated far away and camped for the night. Jing Hu led Usami and other generals to the tower to observe the enemy camp.The enemy army was busy camping. Under the bright red sunset light, some people set up tents, some lit campfires, some were cooking food, and some stood by.The camp didn't seem to have taken any precautions, but sent several teams of soldiers to guard against sneak attacks at the front. Usami sighed, "As expected of the Minamiuonuma samurai trained by Mr. Fang Jing himself, he is indeed outstanding." Jing Hu nodded, continued to observe the enemy camp, and then said to Usami: "These people must retreat tonight, what do you think we will take the opportunity to attack?" Usami did not respond, and he carefully observed the enemy camp.A smile suddenly appeared on the old man's face, and then disappeared quickly. He glanced at the generals and said to Jing Hu: "Don't do it. The enemy is still strong. The first battle was unsuccessful. It is impossible to come today and retreat today. If our army suddenly attacks at night, it may be dangerous. I think we should wait until dawn." Jinghu found out that Usami's words were intentional. In fact, he had noticed the situation of the enemy camp long ago, but he still pretended not to know it, just to highlight Jinghu's courage in front of the generals and win the trust of the generals in him.War depends only on strength, and an army that does not trust its commander will certainly have no strength.What Usami said and did at this time was to make the newly attached generals trust him. Jing Hu understood his love and care, so he sang with him, saying: "The enemy army has no luggage, so it is impossible to camp for too long." Usami said "Ah": "That's right! You really have great eyesight! The enemy army will indeed retreat tonight, they are just pretending to camp for the night!" The singing between the two really worked, the former subordinates had more admiration for the young master general, and the new generals also secretly sighed that Jinghu really deserved his reputation, and felt a sense of awe and trust. After nightfall, the city had already made preparations and waited for action. When the bonfires of the enemy camp were burning more vigorously in the middle of the night, the city soldiers opened the city gates and rushed straight into the enemy camp.As Jinghu had predicted, the enemy army was about to retreat. When they were attacked at this time, their feet immediately floated, and they rushed to flee. The Tochio army rushed to pursue the victory. Qingjing led 7,000 troops across the Mishan Mountains, crossed the Mashi River, and came to the narrow plain area, where he camped that night.But just before dawn, the spies rushed over and reported that Vanguard was defeated in the first battle, and the news of defeat continued after that. All the generals lost their blood, and Qingjing's face was ashen, pointing at the room and scolding again and again: "It's all your vanguard! It's all you..." Fang Jing is now sixty-seven years old, his hair and beard are white, and he looks a little thin, but he has no look of fear, nodded and said: "That's right, let's fight the vanguard, let's go down to block!" He deployed more than 2,000 troops in the area from the Sabashi River beach to Karita. At around 9:00 am, the sky was covered with dark clouds and the air was warm and stuffy.The Tochio Army arrived about an hour later, and they paused halfway to regroup. Fang Jing's army first hid behind the shield, arrows rained out like rain, and then jumped out from behind the shield, attacking the Tochio army with a fierce attack.When the Tochio Army, which was proud of its victory, wavered a little, Fang Jing instigated a second batch of soldiers to attack from the side, and the Tochio Army immediately collapsed. "Excellent! All the troops!" Fang Jing ordered the whole army to launch a general attack, which was like a river bursting its banks. "Hold it! Hold on, everyone!" Jing Hu and all the generals rode their horses in the formation and tried desperately to stabilize their position, but Fang Jing's army attacked too fiercely, and Tochio's army began to collapse. At this moment, Kenji Sugihara led a seven-man firearms team to break away from the team, sneaked to the enemy's side, and personally aimed at the conspicuously dressed generals in the enemy army and shot them.He divided the seven muskets into two groups, one group had three guns, and the other group had four guns. They fired in turn, and all the bullets were fired without missing a beat. The important generals in Fang Jing's army fell one by one.
Important generals were shot one after another, and Fang Jing's army's offensive quickly failed. Facing this incredible weapon, they were terrified, and the morale of the army was immediately shaken. Jing Hu saw the opportunity, immediately gathered the soldiers, re-motivated, and launched a counterattack. Fang Jing is worthy of being a fierce general in all battles. He knows that if he takes a step back in this battle, the whole army will be ruined, so he strides across the battlefield to motivate the soldiers, and at the same time dispatches urgent envoys to Qingjing's main line, urging Qingjing to send troops quickly to turn the tide, but Qingjing couldn't listen. Most timid people, at the climax of fierce battles, often only see the disadvantages of their own army, and do not know that the enemy army has the same sufferings. When the odds of victory and defeat are seven or three points, the balance of power may be broken, but when there are five or five waves, It is not necessarily a disadvantage to one's own side.It's a pity that Qingjing doesn't want to save the situation after all.The clouds in the sky were lower and the sky was getting darker, which made him feel even more frightened. He only thought that Fang Jing's army was torn apart, and Tochio's army immediately came to take advantage of the victory. Fang Jing waited and waited, but there was no reinforcements, but the crisis came one after another. He was so angry that he gritted his teeth and cursed: "Bastard Qingjing! Does he want to die?!" Just when he thought that he could only retreat temporarily, the sky suddenly became darker. Bean-sized raindrops fell from the sky, and then it rained as if the whole sky was pouring down. The two armies could no longer fight, and each retreated. This season's rare torrential rain lasted for three days.The water surface of the Mabashi River was rising, and it seemed that there was a danger of flooding, so both sides withdrew their camps to the high ground next to the mountain, and faced a stalemate. On the fourth day, the rain stopped and the fighting started again. But before that, Fang Jing, who Qingjing relied on the most, resented Qingjing's previous attitude. Without saying a word, he led his troops and retreated to Shangtian. It is conceivable that Qingjing's morale was depressed. The forward had just fought, and his heart was shaken, and he seemed to not want to fight. Jinghu quickly saw the atmosphere, and sent an envoy to inform Sugihara Kenji: "The enemy has no intention of fighting, so you find an opportunity to shoot at the front!" Kenya Sugihara had this in mind, and immediately led his men up the hill on the right, trying to get as close to Qingjing's main formation as possible. The fierce battle at the foot of the mountain is in full swing. Sugihara told his subordinates: "You don't need to choose targets today, as long as you kill a few more, you will be credited. Put two bullets!" The soldiers loaded the bullets as ordered. "Okay! Aim at the center of the formation and launch!" The seven muskets were fired at the same time, and the soldiers shouted at the same time.Although the number was only three hundred, but the muskets were too powerful, coupled with the din of voices, Qingjing's home team, which had already lost their will to fight, fell into a panic. Seeing the opportunity, Jinghu ordered the trumpeter to blow the general attack horn. The powerful sound of conch echoed in the valley, and the lingering sound was endless. The whole army of Tochio followed the sound and made a killing sound, and they all attacked. Qingjing was frightened out of his wits by the situation, and shouted tremblingly: "Lead the horse over here!" As soon as the soldiers and horses were led by the messenger, he immediately got on his horse and prepared to escape.Ma Hui was startled, reined in the bridle, and dissuaded Qingjing: "Your Majesty, absolutely not. The battle is at the right time, how can you abandon your troops and abscond? Please calm down, after all, our army is several times that of the enemy's army!" How could Qingjing have such a spare moment at this moment: "Let go! Let go! I'll go to Mishanling to stop the pursuers, let go!" He kicked the stirrups and swung the whip violently, the horse was kicked until his head was bleeding, and he couldn't help being furious: "It's ruthless and ungrateful, that's all! Let you go!" As soon as she let go of her hand, Qingjing whipped the horse away immediately. As soon as the main general left, there was no one in command, and the whole army immediately fell into chaos and retreated backwards.
The happiest thing to fight on the battlefield is when the enemy army is defeated and our army takes advantage of the victory to pursue after a fierce battle.At this time, our army is in no danger, just like hunting. Although the mentality of treating the enemy as non-human, like birds and beasts is too cruel, but I have just passed the danger of death, and I have no time to reflect on this mentality when I am excited, but I feel excited. endlessly. The Tochio army pursued and killed the retreating enemy army, and went straight to the foot of Mishanling Mountain for two miles.The enemy originally planned to build a new battle formation here, but because of the fierce pursuit, they had to give up and go straight up the mountain. Jing Hu galloped at the forefront of the whole army, but suddenly reined in his horse at the foot of the mountain. After watching the enemy troops fleeing up the mountain for a while, he suddenly called Jin to withdraw his troops.Those soldiers who were energetic and chasing after him were very puzzled by the order to withdraw troops. They galloped to Jing Hu's side and asked the reason in one go. "Why do we have to withdraw our troops? Wouldn't it be a missed opportunity, we should fight to Ningcheng County in one go and take Chunri Mountain." But Jing Hu only said: "Go and ask Usami, he knows why he has to withdraw troops. I go out early in the morning, I am tired, and I need to sleep!" After all, he pried open the door of a private house by the road and went in.Because of the war here, the residents fled one after another, and there was no one in the house.Jing Hu went to the water tank in the kitchen to scoop up a ladle of water and drank it. He took off his armor and lay down on the straw mat. The generals hurriedly went to Usami to inquire carefully.Usami's team was resting in a village a hundred meters away.The horses took off their saddles, and the people took off their helmets, and lit a fire to boil water, looking extremely leisurely. Usami sat facing the campfire, roasting her hands, and said with a slow smile, "Why? Because the enemy's momentum will rebound! If they wait on the hillside and repeatedly defeat our upward momentum, the situation may reverse and form a seesaw situation." In this way, the enemy's momentum is easy to rebound, so we have to trade time for the grasp of the advantage, relax our minds and build up our strength, and then kill him by surprise, so that we have a chance of winning." The generals admired Jing Hu's judgment again: "He has always been like this, he is always extremely sharp, and it is true that age and experience are not necessary to fight wars!" The generals also led their teams to disperse and rest. About an hour later, Jing Hu got up suddenly, put on his helmet, walked out of the house, and looked up at the slope with his eyes covered.The steep mountain road with an altitude of 330 meters winds upwards with white light and disappears into the forested mountainside.No trace of the enemy at all. This mountain ridge stretches for a mile and a half to the north of the 993-meter Mishan Mountain. The shape of the mountain is complex. After three days of heavy rain, the mountain is clear and clear, sharply carved in the blue-black sky like steel. Jing Hu ordered the trumpeter to blow the horn, and the sound of conch echoed among the crowded mountains. The resting army immediately started up, and quickly formed a team with the sound of the charging horn, and gathered at the foot of the mountain.I saw that Jing Hu had already rode his horse uphill, and everyone immediately followed behind. Because of recuperating and recovering their physical strength, they reached the ridge in an instant. Just as Jinghu speculated, Qingjing's army stopped halfway up the slope, intending to sit and wait for the Tochio army who was chasing them, and wait for work.But after waiting for a long time, no pursuers came, and the spies reported that the Tochio army was still resting at the foot of the mountain. "In this case, don't wait, retreat first!" Some generals decided so and began to retreat. Not long after they crossed the mountains, they heard the loud killing sounds of the Tochio Army. "Oops!" Haruki's army was in such a panic that if they turned around to fight, as long as they got back to the ridge before Tochio's army, they would have an advantage.But the mob didn't think so, they were frightened and frightened, wishing they could escape one step earlier and run forward desperately.As a result, even the brave men felt flustered, so they drifted away with the current. When Tochio's army reached the top of the ridge, Qingjing's army had already descended to the sixth or seventh point. Jing Hu shouted: "Don't keep a single one! Kill!" He took the lead and rushed down the mountain. When the Tochio army heard the order, it was like a shark smelling blood. They all excited and clamored, shooting at the Qingjing army like scattered arrows.They scrambled to be the first, and even did not follow the right path. They shuttled down the grass, and after finding a suitable base, they either threw rocks, or drew bows and arrows.Among them, Sugihara Kenke's Musketeers were the most active.With seven subordinates, he climbed to the high cliff close to the front of the enemy army, and specially picked out strikingly dressed warriors to shoot.Due to the condescending position and excellent accuracy, many well-known warriors fell in response.The fear and embarrassment of the Qingjing army is hard to describe in words, they just ran wildly.
The news of the defeat at the Sabashigawa River Bank and the disastrous defeat at Yone Mountain Ridge reached Kasugayama at dawn the next day.The left-behind Bungo Mamoru Mihara is an old man in his seventies. After Qingjing went to war, he was so nervous that he never left Kasugayama Castle. A few days ago, he had received news of the failure of the attack on Tochio Castle and the delay of the battle on the Macabashi River due to heavy rain, but the situation was not so pessimistic. "Because the men of Ueda's army were eager to win the victory, it put us at a disadvantage. However, the battle of Mashikawa has already been severely beaten by the enemy. If it hadn't been for the heavy rain, we would have won a big victory. It is a pity. Only wait for the rain to rest, kill the enemy and get rid of them. Shimotochio, triumphant return in a few days, please forward this news to Chito Zi, so that she can feel at ease." At that time, Bungo was really optimistic, but at dawn, the guards on duty came to report: "...our army is extremely disadvantaged, the lord is on his way back to the city just to save himself..." Bungo got up coughing, changed his clothes, his old legs trembled slightly.The air at dawn was cold and pungent, and he sneezed a few times, making the tip of his nose itchy. "The defeat?! Ah! This is the result of unreasonable troubles. From the very beginning, I did not approve of this dispatch. With a younger brother as outstanding as Jing Hu, it is too late to be happy. Is there any reason to hate instead? As long as brothers are in harmony, Jing Hu Aren’t all the merits of the master the credit of the master? Alas!…” He sneezed, wiped his nose with his cuff, and changed his clothes. "Lead the way! I want to ask clearly." The servant held the lantern and walked to the entrance. The messenger sat on the plank in the porch, and several servants gathered around him to inquire.The servants all looked excited, but the orderly responded with a slightly sluggish look.His sleeves were torn, his feet were bare, and his forehead was tangled in a mess of hair.Seeing Bungo come out, she stood up with great difficulty and knelt down on the muddy ground. "You explain the matter in detail!" "There is nothing to explain in detail. The enemy army is too strong, and there are muskets to help out. Once the guns are fired, our shields and armor can't stop them. They are all aimed at the warriors who lead the army. Besides, Fang Jinggong is angry for some reason. , led the troops back to Ueda before the start of the war, and without Ueda’s support, our army’s power declined greatly, Sabashikawa suffered a disastrous defeat, and Mishanling was even more vulnerable..." His tone was full of dissatisfaction, as if he was directed at Qingjing, but he didn't dare to say it clearly. "Where did you break up with the lord?" "In Songliu, my lord wants me to come back as soon as possible to report the situation." At this moment, it is superfluous to ask any more questions.Feng Hou ordered a servant to lead the messengers to eat and rest, and ordered another person to rush to the home of the samurai staying in the city, telling them to go to the city quickly, he must find some people to welcome Qingjing back to the city. Qingjing was very high-spirited when he dispatched troops this time, and put down his harsh words: "I won't come back until Jinghu is captured or his head is chopped off." As a result, the troops came out in full force, and most of the people staying in the city were old, sick and useless people, but many warriors who went out with him had already fled back first, so it was not a problem to gather some numbers. "What else is there to do?" Bungo sat on the cold floor thinking, and sneezed loudly with an itchy nose. "By the way, I have to inform Mrs. Fujizi..." He wiped his nose, got up and walked towards the inner hall.The sky was slightly brighter, and the courtyard was as white as snow. When he came to the hall, he greeted the female middle school on duty and asked her to report: "I have something urgent to report to Madam. Although I came unexpectedly, please be sure to meet me." He waited for quite a long time, the sky became brighter, and he heard the birdsong. The girl who was on duty at night and the maid who served Fuji Zi came out, "This way, please!" He was brought into the living room facing the frost-covered yard. The paper door was open, and a large fire bowl was burning in the center of the room. Fujizi covered the bowl with one hand and sat still.She wears light makeup, but she is as glamorous as a flower. Feng Hou didn't feel moved when she saw it, but she still knelt politely on the side corridor: "See Madam!" His nose was so itchy that he wanted to sneeze, but he tried to hold it back.
Qingjing dispatched troops to Tochio at the end of November, and it was the season of two or three light snowfalls. It was not a good time to start a war, because soon it would be the midwinter with heavy wind and snow, and the war was bound to be suspended. .It is common to become timid due to dormancy for a long and severe winter, and there are also cases of changing one's mind due to the enemy's calculations. Therefore, Qingjing knows that if he waits until spring, the situation may be even more unfavorable. Popularity is like buckets on a well, when one goes up, the other goes down.Jing Hu defeated the three armies again and again, and repeatedly demonstrated his excellent aptitude as a general, but Qing Jing never showed the behavior that fits a general.In addition, Qingjing's daily activities will definitely not satisfy the favor of the wealthy family, and he himself knows it very well, thinking that it is the best strategy to defeat Jinghu before the deep winter and deep snow come. In response to Qingjing, the first to rush to Shimoechigo were Ueda Keiguni, Izumisawa Kouchi, Matsumoto Osumi, Osaki Chikuzen and others. They were all local tyrants in Minamiuonuma County.Take a boat down the Uonuma River, gather at the mouth of the river, and then follow the Shinano River, land near Zao Gonen, and wait for Qingjing to send troops. The psychology of warriors on the battlefield is extremely special. Even if they are not motivated by ambition, they will unconsciously appear like a hound.At this moment, the wealthy clan did not come here happily, they didn’t respect Qingjing at all, or even despised him, but Nagao Fangjing, the leader of the wealthy clan in Minamiuonuma County, sent troops at Qingjing’s plea, so they had no choice but to follow, but once they sent troops, they would be rewarded with fame. His heart jumped out, and of course he also had the reputation of not dishonoring the actions of a samurai. Out of this mentality, they agreed in private: "The enemy must wait for our guards to arrive before attacking. They are waiting for peace of mind. We will take advantage of their unpreparedness and strike first!" So they set out from Zangwang, and crossed the mountain range on the west side of the basin across Tochio from Sangtan Ridge. Before noon that day, the news of their departure from Zao reached Tochio.Jing Hu discussed with the generals and deployed troops at various key points.Usami is still in the city and is the best person to discuss.Usami thought that if she was not on Biwa Island, it would be easier to induce Haruki to attack, so she asked her son Minbu Shaosuke to stay behind, and brought 500 soldiers to Tochio. Zao is four miles away from Tochio, and usually marches six miles a day, but because this road is a mountain road, although it is not so difficult and dangerous, it is not easy to walk.Jinghu judged that the enemy army had not arrived (3:00 p.m.), and Usami agreed. "Don't worry, just take your time and prepare to wait." After noon, the spies reported that about 300 enemy vanguards had entered the road leading to the city. This seems unlikely, but some speculate that the pioneers may have set off before dawn. Jing Hu thought it was possible, so he asked the spies: "Before or after the fork?" "Before the fork." The road leading to the city is divided into two halfway. Go straight and cross Mifu to reach Sanjo, and turn left to cross Sangtan Ridge to reach King Zang.Although Qingjing's army in the king of Tibet must go to the latter, if someone goes to the former, then the matter is of great importance. Maybe, Qingjing is so strong that he joins forces with Santiao to attack instead.Although this situation is unimaginable, it is not impossible according to Qingjing's nature. Akita Hitachi was his most trusted subordinate in the past. If Qingjing has this intention, the cooperation between the two may be easy. "In any case, we have to be very careful!" Jing Hu explained the situation to the soldiers, and after ordering to step up his defenses, he decided to go out for reconnaissance in person. Everyone immediately dissuaded: "You must not, leave this matter to us!" "No, I want to see for myself." He took thirty horses back and set off, carefully observing the surroundings, and galloped along the winding and slightly sloped valley road along the shade. About half a mile into the valley, there was a fork. He slowed down his horse and paid more attention to his surroundings. Soon, he found a group of army horses coming. Jing Hu stopped his horse, and the opponent also stopped his horse, but immediately put on a posture of preparing for battle, several people rushed out by themselves, scattered into both sides of the road.What is surprising is that these people are carrying muskets, and the barrels of the guns reflect the early winter sun. "Oh? It's a gun, and there are seven of them!" Jing Hu was shocked. Although he knew that bullets would not be able to hit him at this distance, there were bushes on both sides of the road, and he was worried that they would sneak up and snipe, so it would be difficult to guard against.He observes each other keenly. The other party seemed to be watching too. Soon, the leading general waved his command flag, and the guard immediately relaxed, and the soldiers with guns also returned to the ranks.The general grabbed the reins and came running in small steps. He looked closely, but saw the head on the thick and short neck with a white nose protruding, smiling. Shinbei Jinjin said in surprise, "Ah! It's Sugihara-san!" Sugihara Kenke is the lord of Suwon in Kitakamahara County. Although he said he would join Jinghu, but he was within the three spheres of influence, Jinghu thought he would not be able to come. Sugihara Ikimori was thirty-five or six years old, with a fat, red smiling face. "At Shimosugihara Ken's house, I met my lord, and wasted time because I passed through enemy territory." His attitude is very natural, even though he saw Jing Hu for the first time, he didn't show any sign of flinching.After Jinghu finished greeting him, he greeted Jinjin Xinbingwei and other familiar friends. "I just heard from the people in Jianfu that the people of Nanuonuma County left the camp of the royal family of Tibet this morning and were going to attack here. I thought I could catch up now, and I was very happy." After that, he laughed out loud, and the laughter echoed endlessly in the valley. Xinbingwei said, "Where did you get so many muskets?" "Why, have you noticed? I first bought one from Sakai Port. After using it, I found it very useful. I wanted to buy more. It happened that someone in Sakai brought thirty or forty to Odawara for sale, so I bought it. You I don’t know, this thing is very expensive. One set costs five hundred taels. I bought six for two thousand five hundred taels, which is equivalent to making one for nothing. However, my savings for many years have also been emptied. Once this stuff became popular, I couldn’t bear it. The warriors under me suffered, and the common people who were squeezed dry by me couldn’t stand it anymore. Now I can’t save any more, so I have to squeeze it little by little, haha…” While talking and laughing, Jinghu and Sugihara rode back to the city together.
The enemy arrived a little later than the scheduled time, and the number of soldiers was about 5,000.As soon as they arrived, they immediately formed a team and attacked directly.Under the training of the fierce general Fang Jing all the year round, they attacked fiercely, but the defenders also took precautions early and took the fight calmly.The enemy's offensive did not stop for a while, and they rushed forward wave after wave, like raging waves hitting a huge rock.They fought like this, and did not stop attacking until the sun was setting and the sky was getting dark. They retreated far away and camped for the night. Jing Hu led Usami and other generals to the tower to observe the enemy camp.The enemy army was busy camping. Under the bright red sunset light, some people set up tents, some lit campfires, some were cooking food, and some stood by.The camp didn't seem to have taken any precautions, but sent several teams of soldiers to guard against sneak attacks at the front. Usami sighed, "As expected of the Minamiuonuma samurai trained by Mr. Fang Jing himself, he is indeed outstanding." Jing Hu nodded, continued to observe the enemy camp, and then said to Usami: "These people must retreat tonight, what do you think we will take the opportunity to attack?" Usami did not respond, and he carefully observed the enemy camp.A smile suddenly appeared on the old man's face, and then disappeared quickly. He glanced at the generals and said to Jing Hu: "Don't do it. The enemy is still strong. The first battle was unsuccessful. It is impossible to come today and retreat today. If our army suddenly attacks at night, it may be dangerous. I think we should wait until dawn." Jinghu found out that Usami's words were intentional. In fact, he had noticed the situation of the enemy camp long ago, but he still pretended not to know it, just to highlight Jinghu's courage in front of the generals and win the trust of the generals in him.War depends only on strength, and an army that does not trust its commander will certainly have no strength.What Usami said and did at this time was to make the newly attached generals trust him. Jing Hu understood his love and care, so he sang with him, saying: "The enemy army has no luggage, so it is impossible to camp for too long." Usami said "Ah": "That's right! You really have great eyesight! The enemy army will indeed retreat tonight, they are just pretending to camp for the night!" The singing between the two really worked, the former subordinates had more admiration for the young master general, and the new generals also secretly sighed that Jinghu really deserved his reputation, and felt a sense of awe and trust. After nightfall, the city had already made preparations and waited for action. When the bonfires of the enemy camp were burning more vigorously in the middle of the night, the city soldiers opened the city gates and rushed straight into the enemy camp.As Jinghu had predicted, the enemy army was about to retreat. When they were attacked at this time, their feet immediately floated, and they rushed to flee. The Tochio army rushed to pursue the victory. Qingjing led 7,000 troops across the Mishan Mountains, crossed the Mashi River, and came to the narrow plain area, where he camped that night.But just before dawn, the spies rushed over and reported that Vanguard was defeated in the first battle, and the news of defeat continued after that. All the generals lost their blood, and Qingjing's face was ashen, pointing at the room and scolding again and again: "It's all your vanguard! It's all you..." Fang Jing is now sixty-seven years old, his hair and beard are white, and he looks a little thin, but he has no look of fear, nodded and said: "That's right, let's fight the vanguard, let's go down to block!" He deployed more than 2,000 troops in the area from the Sabashi River beach to Karita. At around 9:00 am, the sky was covered with dark clouds and the air was warm and stuffy.The Tochio Army arrived about an hour later, and they paused halfway to regroup. Fang Jing's army first hid behind the shield, arrows rained out like rain, and then jumped out from behind the shield, attacking the Tochio army with a fierce attack.When the Tochio Army, which was proud of its victory, wavered a little, Fang Jing instigated a second batch of soldiers to attack from the side, and the Tochio Army immediately collapsed. "Excellent! All the troops!" Fang Jing ordered the whole army to launch a general attack, which was like a river bursting its banks. "Hold it! Hold on, everyone!" Jing Hu and all the generals rode their horses in the formation and tried desperately to stabilize their position, but Fang Jing's army attacked too fiercely, and Tochio's army began to collapse. At this moment, Kenji Sugihara led a seven-man firearms team to break away from the team, sneaked to the enemy's side, and personally aimed at the conspicuously dressed generals in the enemy army and shot them.He divided the seven muskets into two groups, one group had three guns, and the other group had four guns. They fired in turn, and all the bullets were fired without missing a beat. The important generals in Fang Jing's army fell one by one.
Important generals were shot one after another, and Fang Jing's army's offensive quickly failed. Facing this incredible weapon, they were terrified, and the morale of the army was immediately shaken. Jing Hu saw the opportunity, immediately gathered the soldiers, re-motivated, and launched a counterattack. Fang Jing is worthy of being a fierce general in all battles. He knows that if he takes a step back in this battle, the whole army will be ruined, so he strides across the battlefield to motivate the soldiers, and at the same time dispatches urgent envoys to Qingjing's main line, urging Qingjing to send troops quickly to turn the tide, but Qingjing couldn't listen. Most timid people, at the climax of fierce battles, often only see the disadvantages of their own army, and do not know that the enemy army has the same sufferings. When the odds of victory and defeat are seven or three points, the balance of power may be broken, but when there are five or five waves, It is not necessarily a disadvantage to one's own side.It's a pity that Qingjing doesn't want to save the situation after all.The clouds in the sky were lower and the sky was getting darker, which made him feel even more frightened. He only thought that Fang Jing's army was torn apart, and Tochio's army immediately came to take advantage of the victory. Fang Jing waited and waited, but there was no reinforcements, but the crisis came one after another. He was so angry that he gritted his teeth and cursed: "Bastard Qingjing! Does he want to die?!" Just when he thought that he could only retreat temporarily, the sky suddenly became darker. Bean-sized raindrops fell from the sky, and then it rained as if the whole sky was pouring down. The two armies could no longer fight, and each retreated. This season's rare torrential rain lasted for three days.The water surface of the Mabashi River was rising, and it seemed that there was a danger of flooding, so both sides withdrew their camps to the high ground next to the mountain, and faced a stalemate. On the fourth day, the rain stopped and the fighting started again. But before that, Fang Jing, who Qingjing relied on the most, resented Qingjing's previous attitude. Without saying a word, he led his troops and retreated to Shangtian. It is conceivable that Qingjing's morale was depressed. The forward had just fought, and his heart was shaken, and he seemed to not want to fight. Jinghu quickly saw the atmosphere, and sent an envoy to inform Sugihara Kenji: "The enemy has no intention of fighting, so you find an opportunity to shoot at the front!" Kenya Sugihara had this in mind, and immediately led his men up the hill on the right, trying to get as close to Qingjing's main formation as possible. The fierce battle at the foot of the mountain is in full swing. Sugihara told his subordinates: "You don't need to choose targets today, as long as you kill a few more, you will be credited. Put two bullets!" The soldiers loaded the bullets as ordered. "Okay! Aim at the center of the formation and launch!" The seven muskets were fired at the same time, and the soldiers shouted at the same time.Although the number was only three hundred, but the muskets were too powerful, coupled with the din of voices, Qingjing's home team, which had already lost their will to fight, fell into a panic. Seeing the opportunity, Jinghu ordered the trumpeter to blow the general attack horn. The powerful sound of conch echoed in the valley, and the lingering sound was endless. The whole army of Tochio followed the sound and made a killing sound, and they all attacked. Qingjing was frightened out of his wits by the situation, and shouted tremblingly: "Lead the horse over here!" As soon as the soldiers and horses were led by the messenger, he immediately got on his horse and prepared to escape.Ma Hui was startled, reined in the bridle, and dissuaded Qingjing: "Your Majesty, absolutely not. The battle is at the right time, how can you abandon your troops and abscond? Please calm down, after all, our army is several times that of the enemy's army!" How could Qingjing have such a spare moment at this moment: "Let go! Let go! I'll go to Mishanling to stop the pursuers, let go!" He kicked the stirrups and swung the whip violently, the horse was kicked until his head was bleeding, and he couldn't help being furious: "It's ruthless and ungrateful, that's all! Let you go!" As soon as she let go of her hand, Qingjing whipped the horse away immediately. As soon as the main general left, there was no one in command, and the whole army immediately fell into chaos and retreated backwards.
The happiest thing to fight on the battlefield is when the enemy army is defeated and our army takes advantage of the victory to pursue after a fierce battle.At this time, our army is in no danger, just like hunting. Although the mentality of treating the enemy as non-human, like birds and beasts is too cruel, but I have just passed the danger of death, and I have no time to reflect on this mentality when I am excited, but I feel excited. endlessly. The Tochio army pursued and killed the retreating enemy army, and went straight to the foot of Mishanling Mountain for two miles.The enemy originally planned to build a new battle formation here, but because of the fierce pursuit, they had to give up and go straight up the mountain. Jing Hu galloped at the forefront of the whole army, but suddenly reined in his horse at the foot of the mountain. After watching the enemy troops fleeing up the mountain for a while, he suddenly called Jin to withdraw his troops.Those soldiers who were energetic and chasing after him were very puzzled by the order to withdraw troops. They galloped to Jing Hu's side and asked the reason in one go. "Why do we have to withdraw our troops? Wouldn't it be a missed opportunity, we should fight to Ningcheng County in one go and take Chunri Mountain." But Jing Hu only said: "Go and ask Usami, he knows why he has to withdraw troops. I go out early in the morning, I am tired, and I need to sleep!" After all, he pried open the door of a private house by the road and went in.Because of the war here, the residents fled one after another, and there was no one in the house.Jing Hu went to the water tank in the kitchen to scoop up a ladle of water and drank it. He took off his armor and lay down on the straw mat. The generals hurriedly went to Usami to inquire carefully.Usami's team was resting in a village a hundred meters away.The horses took off their saddles, and the people took off their helmets, and lit a fire to boil water, looking extremely leisurely. Usami sat facing the campfire, roasting her hands, and said with a slow smile, "Why? Because the enemy's momentum will rebound! If they wait on the hillside and repeatedly defeat our upward momentum, the situation may reverse and form a seesaw situation." In this way, the enemy's momentum is easy to rebound, so we have to trade time for the grasp of the advantage, relax our minds and build up our strength, and then kill him by surprise, so that we have a chance of winning." The generals admired Jing Hu's judgment again: "He has always been like this, he is always extremely sharp, and it is true that age and experience are not necessary to fight wars!" The generals also led their teams to disperse and rest. About an hour later, Jing Hu got up suddenly, put on his helmet, walked out of the house, and looked up at the slope with his eyes covered.The steep mountain road with an altitude of 330 meters winds upwards with white light and disappears into the forested mountainside.No trace of the enemy at all. This mountain ridge stretches for a mile and a half to the north of the 993-meter Mishan Mountain. The shape of the mountain is complex. After three days of heavy rain, the mountain is clear and clear, sharply carved in the blue-black sky like steel. Jing Hu ordered the trumpeter to blow the horn, and the sound of conch echoed among the crowded mountains. The resting army immediately started up, and quickly formed a team with the sound of the charging horn, and gathered at the foot of the mountain.I saw that Jing Hu had already rode his horse uphill, and everyone immediately followed behind. Because of recuperating and recovering their physical strength, they reached the ridge in an instant. Just as Jinghu speculated, Qingjing's army stopped halfway up the slope, intending to sit and wait for the Tochio army who was chasing them, and wait for work.But after waiting for a long time, no pursuers came, and the spies reported that the Tochio army was still resting at the foot of the mountain. "In this case, don't wait, retreat first!" Some generals decided so and began to retreat. Not long after they crossed the mountains, they heard the loud killing sounds of the Tochio Army. "Oops!" Haruki's army was in such a panic that if they turned around to fight, as long as they got back to the ridge before Tochio's army, they would have an advantage.But the mob didn't think so, they were frightened and frightened, wishing they could escape one step earlier and run forward desperately.As a result, even the brave men felt flustered, so they drifted away with the current. When Tochio's army reached the top of the ridge, Qingjing's army had already descended to the sixth or seventh point. Jing Hu shouted: "Don't keep a single one! Kill!" He took the lead and rushed down the mountain. When the Tochio army heard the order, it was like a shark smelling blood. They all excited and clamored, shooting at the Qingjing army like scattered arrows.They scrambled to be the first, and even did not follow the right path. They shuttled down the grass, and after finding a suitable base, they either threw rocks, or drew bows and arrows.Among them, Sugihara Kenke's Musketeers were the most active.With seven subordinates, he climbed to the high cliff close to the front of the enemy army, and specially picked out strikingly dressed warriors to shoot.Due to the condescending position and excellent accuracy, many well-known warriors fell in response.The fear and embarrassment of the Qingjing army is hard to describe in words, they just ran wildly.
The news of the defeat at the Sabashigawa River Bank and the disastrous defeat at Yone Mountain Ridge reached Kasugayama at dawn the next day.The left-behind Bungo Mamoru Mihara is an old man in his seventies. After Qingjing went to war, he was so nervous that he never left Kasugayama Castle. A few days ago, he had received news of the failure of the attack on Tochio Castle and the delay of the battle on the Macabashi River due to heavy rain, but the situation was not so pessimistic. "Because the men of Ueda's army were eager to win the victory, it put us at a disadvantage. However, the battle of Mashikawa has already been severely beaten by the enemy. If it hadn't been for the heavy rain, we would have won a big victory. It is a pity. Only wait for the rain to rest, kill the enemy and get rid of them. Shimotochio, triumphant return in a few days, please forward this news to Chito Zi, so that she can feel at ease." At that time, Bungo was really optimistic, but at dawn, the guards on duty came to report: "...our army is extremely disadvantaged, the lord is on his way back to the city just to save himself..." Bungo got up coughing, changed his clothes, his old legs trembled slightly.The air at dawn was cold and pungent, and he sneezed a few times, making the tip of his nose itchy. "The defeat?! Ah! This is the result of unreasonable troubles. From the very beginning, I did not approve of this dispatch. With a younger brother as outstanding as Jing Hu, it is too late to be happy. Is there any reason to hate instead? As long as brothers are in harmony, Jing Hu Aren’t all the merits of the master the credit of the master? Alas!…” He sneezed, wiped his nose with his cuff, and changed his clothes. "Lead the way! I want to ask clearly." The servant held the lantern and walked to the entrance. The messenger sat on the plank in the porch, and several servants gathered around him to inquire.The servants all looked excited, but the orderly responded with a slightly sluggish look.His sleeves were torn, his feet were bare, and his forehead was tangled in a mess of hair.Seeing Bungo come out, she stood up with great difficulty and knelt down on the muddy ground. "You explain the matter in detail!" "There is nothing to explain in detail. The enemy army is too strong, and there are muskets to help out. Once the guns are fired, our shields and armor can't stop them. They are all aimed at the warriors who lead the army. Besides, Fang Jinggong is angry for some reason. , led the troops back to Ueda before the start of the war, and without Ueda’s support, our army’s power declined greatly, Sabashikawa suffered a disastrous defeat, and Mishanling was even more vulnerable..." His tone was full of dissatisfaction, as if he was directed at Qingjing, but he didn't dare to say it clearly. "Where did you break up with the lord?" "In Songliu, my lord wants me to come back as soon as possible to report the situation." At this moment, it is superfluous to ask any more questions.Feng Hou ordered a servant to lead the messengers to eat and rest, and ordered another person to rush to the home of the samurai staying in the city, telling them to go to the city quickly, he must find some people to welcome Qingjing back to the city. Qingjing was very high-spirited when he dispatched troops this time, and put down his harsh words: "I won't come back until Jinghu is captured or his head is chopped off." As a result, the troops came out in full force, and most of the people staying in the city were old, sick and useless people, but many warriors who went out with him had already fled back first, so it was not a problem to gather some numbers. "What else is there to do?" Bungo sat on the cold floor thinking, and sneezed loudly with an itchy nose. "By the way, I have to inform Mrs. Fujizi..." He wiped his nose, got up and walked towards the inner hall.The sky was slightly brighter, and the courtyard was as white as snow. When he came to the hall, he greeted the female middle school on duty and asked her to report: "I have something urgent to report to Madam. Although I came unexpectedly, please be sure to meet me." He waited for quite a long time, the sky became brighter, and he heard the birdsong. The girl who was on duty at night and the maid who served Fuji Zi came out, "This way, please!" He was brought into the living room facing the frost-covered yard. The paper door was open, and a large fire bowl was burning in the center of the room. Fujizi covered the bowl with one hand and sat still.She wears light makeup, but she is as glamorous as a flower. Feng Hou didn't feel moved when she saw it, but she still knelt politely on the side corridor: "See Madam!" His nose was so itchy that he wanted to sneeze, but he tried to hold it back.